


12: Witchcraft

by Riddlebird-puff (hobbitpuff)



Series: Gotham - Autumn OTP Challenge [12]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Fish is the witch, Happy Ending, Inspired by Little Mermaid but not an AU, M/M, Oswald is a penguin, edward is human
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-29 22:16:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16273475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hobbitpuff/pseuds/Riddlebird-puff
Summary: Day 12/31: WitchcraftOswald the little penguin strikes a deal with the Fish to become human for one night only. Will the human Ed help him break the curse of the spell?Read Series notes for Challange details.





	12: Witchcraft

**Author's Note:**

> This is in fun only! It's a fairytale. :)

Oswald the penguin was bored. None of the handlers wanted anything to do with him after making the “Bad Penguin” list six months in a row for biting the fingers of his feeders and stealing fish from the weaker penguins. Oswald was one of the smallest penguins in the exhibition, and he had a flipper injury that had never healed correctly, but the other penguins knew to get out of his way. Even the handlers knew to stay away from him. All except one, the humans called the female Kristen but the penguins called her “Angel”. Everyone loved Angel, human and penguin. Oswald hated her most of all. 

 

He fell off the rock, and dived into the water. The chemicals they used in the aquarium water stung his eyes but he kept them open as he swam the edge of the glass to keep a watch out for  _ him. He  _ worked in the Anemone exhibit,  _ he  _ was tall and thin, and walked like a proper penguin.  _ He  _ always came to the penguin exhibit after first feeding. And  _ he  _ always wore green. Oswald thought of him as the “Green Man”,  _ his  _ Green Man. 

 

The other penguins thought he was crazy for falling in love with a human. But the Green Man didn't make him feel like a penguin.  _ He  _ greeted Angel first with a peck on the cheek and took the bucket from her, Oswald waddled back on land and  _ he  _ moved towards him with a fat fish in his hand for Oswald.  _ He  _ could always tell Oswald from the other penguins, even the other handlers had trouble telling them apart. But as Oswald waddled up the steep incline he made the mistake of not paying enough attention to his surroundings and one of the other penguins tripped him. Harvey, the largest penguin in the exhibit laughed at him. He could not help it, he cried. He would get his revenge. Harvey was a fat stupid fish-bird and he was a deep sleeper, he would- he kicked his feet as  _ his  _ Green Man placed him back on them. He nuzzled  _ his  _ hand. He smelled like fish and the bubblegum soap the aquarium used. And something that meant  _ him. _

 

“You are the only one Oswald has never bitten, Ed,” Kristen laughed. 

 

“We understand each other,” the Green Man patted his chest, “don't we, Os?”  _ He  _ held the fish for Oswald to take. Oswald loved fish, but fish from the Green Man was the best fish.  _ He  _ watched Angel walk back to the others with a sad smile. “You would tell me to stop being an idiot and just ask her out, wouldn't you?”

 

No! Nononono! Oswald dropped his delicious fish and bit the Green Man’s hand. Hard! He even tasted man-blood. “Ow,” the Green Man held his hand to his chest and looked down at Oswald betrayed. “Os, what has gotten into you?” Angel rushed forward to take the Green Man's hand and Oswald was picked up by the worst of the handlers and dragged off the exhibit floor. 

 

X

 

Oswald was howling in his isolation when he was visited by the small bird called Cat. 

 

“They say you're in here cause you were dumb enough to fall for a human,” the small black and white bird hopped on the windowsill above his head. 

 

“I am not in love with that horrible no smart human,” he sniffed. He was hungry. And he was tired. And he was lonely. 

 

“They say you bit the human,” the bird twittered. “It's all the aquarium is talking about. Fish, bird, human, and everybody in between. The talk has even reached the ears of the Fish. And she wishes to speak with you.” 

 

“The Fish wants to see me?” Oswald had only heard of the mysterious Fish, he had never seen her and didn't know anyone who had. Though Harvey claimed to be great friends with her.

 

“You have… amused  _ her,”  _ the Cat-bird hopped down. “Follow me, I will take you to her.”

 

X

 

Oswald thought they had passed by the same bench twice already. “Are you sure you're not lost?”

 

“This would be a whole lot easier if you could fly, you know,” the Cat-bird hopped backwards. “We're almost there. Just up that ramp. Meet ya at the top.” She flew up leaving Oswald alone at the bottom. 

 

He was far from the penguin exhibit and he was alone. He started the slow trek up the ramp. And when he got to the top he saw the Cat-bird had already gone in. He entered the dark exhibit and walked all the way to the back. He was clearly in the right place. The tank was low to the ground as though to invite children to put their hands in.

 

‘Meet the Wonder of the Aquarium, Miss Fish!!’ The banner above read.

 

“Miss Fish? Oswald the Penguin, you wanted to see me?” 

 

“Yess, little Oswald,” the water parted slowly, “the little penguin that thinks he is human.” The Fish’s body lifted out of the water, the mysterious Miss. Fish was an  _ octopus!  _ “What would you say if I told you I can grant your wish to be human?” She tilted her bulbous head down. “Mm?”

 

“I would say you've been in here too long,” Oswald was irritated, he had come all this way for  _ this? _

 

“You do not believe, tsk, tsk,” the Fish waved a tentacle in front of his face. “It is an old magic passed on from the Old Gods,” she raised up and leaned down. “And for a small price, I can give it you.” 

 

“What's the price?” Oswald folded his flippers. 

 

“A small percentage of your fish.” 

 

Oswald squawked. “There has to be a catch.”

 

“There is,” Fish hissed. “You will be human for one night only, and if your man doesn't kiss you within those twelve hours the spell will break and you will become my willing  _ slave.” _

 

“But I'll be fully human?” Oswald asked, he hated he was even considering it. But he could finally win the Green Man’s affection away from Angel. 

 

“Yesss,” her tentacle reached out, “if you agree, you must shake on it, little one.”

 

Oswald used his broken flipper to shake the Fish's tentacle. 

 

“Oh! And one more thing! You will not be able to speak until the curse is broken.” Fish laughed.

 

X

 

Oswald made his way back to the penguin exhibit. He should have known Fish was delusional.  _ Magic wasn't real.  _ He dived into the water to ease the pain in his tired and broken body. But as soon as his body hit the water it was as though he had suddenly grown too heavy to swim! He panicked but sank to the bottom. A pair of strong arms grabbed him around the waist and dragged him to the top. 

 

It was  _ his  _ Green Man!  _ He  _ had saved him! Oswald coughed as the Green Man held him. Oswald raised his hand- he had a hand! Fish's magic had worked! He opened his beak- no he had a mouth now, to speak but nothing came out. And he remembered the last warning Fish had given. 

 

“What were you doing here?” the Green Man asked, then looked away embarrassed. “You're… um… naked, let me find you a blanket to wrap yourself in.” He got up and came back with a blanket that he wrapped around Oswald. “There you go.”

 

Oswald nuzzled his bandaged hand, grabbed the hand and pointed to it. He had not meant to hurt  _ his  _ Green Man and he wished he could tell him, Oswald just couldn't allow him to ask Angel out! 

 

“This?” the Green Man held up his hand. “A friend did this by mistake,” he looked around. “And now he has disappeared. That's why I'm here, actually. To look for him and offer my apologies for making him runaway.”

 

Oswald hadn't run away! The Green Man had just called him friend!  _ He  _ had been looking for him half the night. 

 

“Can you speak?” the Green Man helped him stand. Oswald shook his head and gestured to his throat. “Oh, gosh. I can't just leave you here. I guess I better take you home with me.” 

 

Oswald was going home with  _ him!  _ It was strange walking on human legs, he leaned on the Green Man out of the aquarium. He could  _ kiss  _ the octopus the next time he saw her.

 

X 

 

Oswald was in the Green Man's bed. In the Green Man's robe. He never wanted to leave. And he only needed to get  _ him  _ to kiss him. How hard could it be? People kissed all the time at the aquarium. 

 

The Green Man came back holding a glass with a straw. “Here,” he held it up to Oswald. “You must be thirsty. I wish you could tell me what you were doing at the aquarium at that time of night- hey, wait here, I've got an idea,” he snapped his fingers. And came back with a writing pad and pen, he handed them to Oswald. “Write it down.”

 

Oswald took the items and shook his head. A penguin had no need to learn how to write after all.

 

“Oh,” the Green Man sighed. “Well, my name is Edward. Ed, Ed Nygma. I wish I knew what to call you.” He bit his lip. “Oswald?” Oswald looked up panicked. “It's just… you remind me of an Oswald I guess,” Ed laughed. 

 

Edward knew who Oswald was! Oswald started excitingly pointing to himself.

 

“I guess you like the name… Wait! Are you saying you  _ are  _ Oswald?” Ed asked. Oswald nodded and flapped his new arms like flippers. “But… but how is it possible?” He grabbed Oswald’s hands. “Os, I searched the whole aquarium for you!”  _ He _ touched his face. “I thought I had lost you!”  _ He  _ kissed him on the mouth. 

 

Oswald would stay human! He hugged Ed tight. 

 

“Ed,” the former penguin said carefully. “Ed-ward.” The curse was broken. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I love penguin Oswald!!


End file.
